NEWGIZA Premier Padel P2
New Giza, Egypt
Newgiza
Egypt
Notable absences at Premier Padel Newgiza
With the end of the season approaching – there's just four tournaments left after the Newgiza P2 – it's no surprise that some of the top players want to end the season on a strong note and get some rest before giving their all in the final events of the season.
26 min
Highlights – NEWGIZA Premier Padel P2
Watch the highlights from Egypt as the NEWGIZA Premier Padel P2 took centre stage.
Among the players who decided to not participate in the Newgiza P2 were the stars who form the top three male teams in the world: Agustín Tapia and Arturo Coello, Alejandro Galán – Federico Chingotto and Juan Lebrón – Martín Di Nenno. Fifth seeds Paquito Navarro and Pablo Cardona were also absent.
In the women’s competition, top-ranked Ariana Sánchez – Paula Josemaría were also absent, while sixth-ranked star Bea González is still sidelined with injury. Delfina Brea, her usual team-mate, teamed up with ninth-ranked Lucía Sainz to enter the tournament as the third seeds.
Javier Garrido and Lucas Bergamini reached the final
© Premier Padel/Red Bull Content Pool
Franco Stupaczuk wows with display of speed and recovery
Despite some of the top-ranked players not being present, these absences allowed fans to enjoy watching some pairs who usually stay under the radar, but who're equally capable of putting on a show – and who certainly wanted to impress the crowd in the year's last P2.
In the thrilling men’s final between first-seeded Franco "Stupa" Stupaczuk – Miguel Yanguas and Javier Garrido – Lucas Bergamini, Stupa displayed his incredible speed and recovery skills to get out of the court after their opponent’s smash and win the point by gently playing the ball right by the net. 'Stupa' didn’t seem to have enough with that highlight and in that same match hit an impressive parallel jumping smash to clinch the first, catching his opponents off guard.
In the women's tournament, Alejandra Salazar showed her outstanding defensive capabilities before turning to offense to get the ball out of the court with a powerful smash in the decisive final. Her opponent Sofia Araujo didn't shy away from the challenge and surprised Salazar with an unexpected parallel 'bandeja' that earned her the point.
'Stupa' and Yanguas secure first Premier Padel title
Seventh-ranked Franco Stupaczuk joined forces with ninth-ranked Miguel Yanguas in mid-July, at a time when many players were changing teams. Despite a challenging start as a pair in which they didn't achieve the results they wanted, their resilience proved to be key to finally lifting their first trophy together in Newgiza, a tournament they entered as the top seed.
Franco Stupaczuk and Miguel Yanguas won their first tournament as a team
© Premier Padel/Red Bull Content Pool
In the quarter-finals, 'Stupa' – Yanguas defeated heavy-hitters Lucas Campagnolo – Javier Leal 6-2, 6-3. 'Campa' and Leal, both extremely powerful smashers, are always a tough pair to beat, but the top seeds prevailed thanks to their consistency and high-quality pressure shots.
In the semi-finals, they faced one of the most consistent teams on tour, third-seeded Eduardo 'Edu' Alonso and Jerónimo 'Momo' González. Despite Alonso and González displaying their usual high level, Stupa – Yanguas were able to neutralise their main weapons to advance to the final 6-2, 6-2.
The final was a highly emotional encounter, as Yanguas faced his previous team-mate Javi Garrido, who's now team-mates with Brazilian wizard Lucas Bergamini. Garrido – Bergamini, seeded third, played at an elite level en route to the final, but the top seed's combination of power and precision proved to be too much for them (6-3, 7-6).
With 'Stupa' and Yanguas's first title together, the team now enters the final leg of the season with renewed energy and the conviction of being able to challenge the top teams in the world.
Second Premier Padel title for Ortega and Araujo
Marta Ortega and Sofía Araujo were coming off a streak of solid results during recent tournaments, appearing in the late rounds, but not quite able to go all the way. The Newgiza P2, where they were seeded third, was an opportunity for them to taste glory again and they certainly took advantage.
In the quarter-finals, Ortega – Araujo had to fight a tough battle against fifth-seeded Claudia Jensen – Tamara Icardo and their resilience paid off as they took home the win after a three-set thriller despite losing the first set (4-6, 6-3, 6-2).
Marta Ortega and Sofia Araujo displayed an extremely high level
© Premier Padel/Red Bull Content Pool
In the semis, 'Martita' and 'The Lioness' Araujo faced sixth-seeds Aranzazu Osoro – Verónica Virseda, a battle-tested team who'd defeated second-seeded Delfina Brea – Lucía Sainz in the previous round. Ortega – Araujo had to bring out their best game and come back from an initial deficit to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 and reach their fourth final of the year.
The final provided fans with an unprecedented, refreshing and exhilarating duel between Ortega - Araujo and third-seeded Alejandra Salazar – Jessica Castelló, who pulled off a significant upset in the semi-finals by defeating first-seeded Gemma Triay – Claudia Fernández. This time however Ortega and Araujo's experience proved to be too much for Salazar and Castelló as they fell short, 6-4, 6-2. This is Ortega and Araujo's second trophy as a pair, after the Genova P2 at the beginning of July.
Coming up: Premier Padel Dubai P1
After an extraordinary event in Egypt, the first of a three-tournament stretch in the region, Premier Padel will take a one-week break before travelling to the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai P1 on November 4-10, landing in a city where padel is growing at one of the fastest rates in the world.